I know you see that my picture is upside down. I just wanted to let you see what I see metaphorically in using this picture pertaining to life.

Each day we go along with our lives and often times we don’t really see things as they are we see them as we remember them. Now when you think about that statement, take a look around you and tell me if your perception of the way things are and how things really are, is the same? For instance, when you walk past a group of people talking, do you greet them, say excuse me if you’re walking between them or do you choose to say nothing at all. I realized that when you don’t greet or even make eye contact when approaching others that are made aware of your presence, you project that you are rude, not well-mannered, and that you are just plain mean.

I know you can easily argue that last statement. Especially, if you are from a state or area where this type of behavior is normal. I clearly understand the mindset of people working and having to maneuver through large crowds everyday to get to their destinations not taking out the time to greet someone they don’t know. Clearly, this is understandable, but as a child you were told by your parents to say excuse me or to say hello. I was taught to greet and use my manners, but as the years have progressed, I’ve also been instructed not to talk to strangers, scream and run if I’m approached by weird-looking characters. I hear people say all the time

“There are no good-hearted people who would give you a ride if you’re walking along the Highway!”

This is a truthful statement, most people won’t stop to help someone who is stranded on the roadside. The nature of our society is to shun or avoid unsavory characters, no matter the circumstance. Some people are not even gonna help those they know need help merely because of their thought process, and media. I say that because if you see someone having a hard time along side the road and their car is broken down, you don’t stop to offer help, nor do you stop to just say hey you need me to call someone for you or maybe you can take them to the nearest gas station. The news has taught us that crime is real, and no one can be trusted. Movies and reality shows provide us with dramatized situations where people can’t be trusted because of their deceitful nature.

Now let’s look back at the picture, is it really upside down or is our perception upside down? Do we as a people really take out time to see if something is really turned upside down? Are we the same people who think that our concept is the only one that counts.

Thinking inside the box is the most common way of perceiving something. You take on the mindset that this is the only way of doing something and you never really take out time to look at the trees, see the grass as it dies, and see the leaves fall from the trees. You walk outside one day and the ground is covered with leaves, and the grass is brown. You take notice of the change, but it’s not until the trees have flourished and the grass is green again, do you stop to see how the seasons have changed. These things aren’t possible in the box, because you are in the rat race, and as long as the mazes keep generating you will continue in this frame of mind. It’s those of you who are looking upside down from in a box that are seeing this picture upside down. Think about it!

Some people such as myself, aren’t built for the rat race, they are designed to take another route, find another avenue, that will alleviate the stress of the box, dare I say step outside the box. See the glass half full rather than empty. Once you’re outside the box, life is different, your understanding of people and things change. You don’t avoid people, you engage with them cause one thing in life that make a profound effect on people is your ability to communicate and deviate through situations without becoming complacent or depressed. If you can take your situation and inspire someone else, without looking for compensation or some type of gain. This is thinking outside the box. In the box, it’s every man for himself, if you don’t have what it takes, you get out the box and find other means to serve your purpose.

Looking at this picture it’s easy to see what’s wrong with it in one glance. Looking at yourself and identifying what’s wrong with you is a lot harder process. Don’t become that person that only sees things one sided, and can never really see the other side of things. They tell me there is two sides to everything. If you are one sided then you are half of a person, cause you have to be centered and your core must have both sides to function. You may miss my point if you’re still looking at this picture from one perspective. Start looking at the picture Right Side UP!

Recently, my quality of writing has changed. I asked myself what happened that changed my quality of writing. Of course I was talking to myself, but it seemed to puzzle me at first.

I am naturally a writer through and through, but sometimes things happen to alter your perception, thought processes and pattern. Many times these changes elevate your creativity.

For instance, all writers will agree, when you encounter hardship or challenges, once you’ve made it over that hurdle, your understanding gain from the that obstacle changes your perception of your life. Why? I asked myself.

I simply understand now, through talking with other authors, including, my publisher and best friend Yvette St. Clair, whom is the owner of August Nite Publishing and she is an accomplished published author. That most writers utilize their life experiences and obstacles as motivation to write, or it creates the environment for conducive writing.

When you experience the growth in your writing, it purely comes from you, and your ability to take all negative or positive feedback, or events and turn them into constructive criticism. If you elevate your understanding and take charge of the emotions or lack of emotion to make it work for you and on your behalf. Your writing will evolve and grow and you will develop your skills naturally.

Therefore, the natural growth gives room for you to grow your knowledge base. The more you know, the more your skills will continue to evolve and grow as well. Having a complete understanding of the knowledge that you have is more important than, being able to quote and recite information. According to the King James version of the bible, in Proverbs 4:7;

"Wisdom is the principal thing; thereforeget wisdom: and with all thy getting get
Understanding."

This scripture really explains the general idea, in your life experiences its the understanding you gain from the experience that makes your writing skills evolve, it gives you room to grow and become more creative. Educating your mind to expand your knowledge base and increase your wisdom is good, but if you truly don’t understand the knowledge you have it’s worthless information. Each level of life brings a new understanding and creates the room for you to grow individually as a person, and it opens the avenues of your craft to increase as well. If you agreed writers tap your pen….

“I have enjoyed a life that was tormented with terrible images from my mind.”

I use to think that my life was nothing more than a mere joke. I found myself hating that I even existed. I even tried to end my life. I battled with thoughts of taking my life almost on a daily bases.

I can remember trying to figure out what was wrong with me? I prayed to God to help me. I have three very beautiful young adults who I love very deeply.

I found that nothing I was doing despite my prayers and faith I was still sinking. Still trying with everything in me to survive. I often times felt as if God wasn’t listening.

If you’ve ever felt as if you were in a hole and like the walls were closing in on you, and no matter what you’re doing or how much dirt you pack under your feet you feel like you’re not moving up?

That is what having a mental illness is like. You are trapped and in some cases you feel doomed and sealed in your fate. You don’t care about others. Ex. Spending quality time with your family and friends are of no importance to you. You isolated and lose interest in the things you love. Ex. If you draw or write or have a job it becomes to much to do these things that you love to do. You feel hopeless and inadequate. You even focus on the negative thing and over look the positive. You feel pains and aches in your body.

People who I knew very well often thought I was the happiest person always cheerful and smiling. I masked my true pains and hurts for some things and other things I just isolated to avoid the contact of others.

I know I’m just putting it all out there but I really hope to reach someone who needs to know that their not alone! I have enjoyed a life that was torment with terrible images from my mind. I say that to point this out with mental illness it is truly about what you believe or think. Most people with mental illness don’t really understand themselves. It’s like looking at yourself in the mirror and not recognizing the person looking back at you. It’s like knowing that I am beautiful but not having self-esteem.

Depression is horrible and you can’t just snap out of it like normal people do. You don’t just decide to be all better because everyone else is fine. Depression will drain you of all your energy.

As I said in my recent post I’m back and I am on a mission to educate and advocate for mental illness
writergurlwoo

I took off sometime to get myself together and when it’s all said and done it was absolutely the best choice I could have made.

I can safely admit that to have yourself mentally, physically and spiritually fit is important. I learned a lot about myself. The most important thing for an author to remember is that all facets of their life will aid in their writing.

I am a true believe in the saying “the more you endure the more you have to draw from in your writing.” I thought I would provide those people whom follow my site my most interesting journey as I learned of my mental illness and went through the progress of learning to heal and become more positive about being diagnosed as having a mild case of bipolar 1.

First I would like to provide a more in depth understanding of the illness and how it affects people differently. I won’t bore you with the scientific version of the disease but my understanding as I am dealing and learning how to live with it.

There is more of my experience to come I kept some diaries and some very deep thought of the struggle in my mind as I learned how to redirect my thinking to a more positive thinking and not allowing my diagnoses to determine my out come.

In my 40 years I have in some form or fashion sought after love. No matter what form you seek after love, it is the driven force to your existence. Some people seek love from their parents, siblings, friends, and companions. No matter the way you look at it, we all seek to be loved. This thought nugget is about infatuation and how we mistake love for it. With that said, Why do we mistake infatuation for love? I have been thinking about this for a long time and some days I feel like I’ve got it all figured out. Now this is only my thoughts and my observations, on the topic.

As I stated previously, in my 40 years I have searched for love, and in those years I’ve met a lot of people, some have stayed around and others have fallen along the wayside. Most women I’ve spoken to keep hope alive for finding that special someone, and others are past the whole love thing, and some just give up and settle for anything that resembles affection. Most men I’ve spoken to seek love, but not in the way women do. From my observation most men, experience infatuation far more times than women. Now, to be fair, with this I must make sure that you understand that infatuation is merely emotional impulses of love, that are untested by time or circumstances. Most times Its something about the first encounter or conversation that intrigues us about that person. After further investigation, we feel drawn to the person, through a series of questions and encounters we set our thoughts on love.

Writing is my gift to the world, and encouraging others is my purpose. I am writing you today, just to encourage you to keep pushing forward and understand that there is a purpose in your life. No matter what it is God designed it just for you. He has a purpose for your life, regardless of the situations you are presently in he has allowed you to go through the things you have encountered in this life just for you to be equipped to handle your purpose. Some will say that I have had a hard life, and I can’t see how he allowed me to go through these things. But I have come to tell you today there is a purpose to the madness. God hasn’t allowed you to go through these trials, for no reason, he knew before he allowed it to come your way that you were able to make it through.

So keep in mind that he knows all and sees your heart, he knows that you are struggling, he knows that you desire better. It’s simple to say all that is in your way of being where you want to be, but it only takes faith and belief in Him to make it through those things. Sometimes we get worried and troubled because we are trying to resolve those things before us, but He is able to bring us out of these things with just a simple prayer. I know some of you are saying, well, I’ve been praying and he’s not done it for me, yet. The key is to give it to him and not worry about it anymore. If you pray, then don’t worry about it anymore cause you’ve truly put it in his hands to resolve. If you don’t try to fix it yourself, and you stop worrying about it, then you give God room to work it out for you how he wants you to have it.

Remember, that in life you have to focus on the purpose of your life, and not the things that are in your way. These things are just to test your faith in your purpose, and the more trials you have, the more your faith will grow in God. He allows these things just to make you believe in him, and trust him with your life. When you can pray, trust and believe in Him you will see your life start to change and those things you thought were mountain will become nothing more than an ant pile. You have the power to achieve whatever you have been proposed for in this life.

Keep your mind on positive things and don’t focus on the negative, because you give power to the negative. This stops your progress in your situation. We all go through things, some more than others, but none-the-less we all go through. No one person can do it all, if it was so God wouldn’t allow so many people to be in this world. He has your own set people for you to encounter and be in their lives. These people are depending on you to be what God purposed you to be. If you don’t know your purpose you need to get to know HIM!! So that you can get on track with your life’s work.

Be encouraged, and know that today is your day!!! Keep moving forward, and pressing onward and striving for your goals. God put a gift in your hands, whether its many talents or one, we all have a gift. Use your gift to its full potential, because it will make room for you. People have been telling you that you’re good at this, but you keep denying it. If you hear this a lot, then open your mind and heart to what is before you. These words I write is my gift to the world, not everyone will receive this message but for those of you who will, I say be encouraged and know that your life has a purpose and your belief in God has a direct connect with your success. Those who are successful in achieving those things they set out to accomplish have faith and belief in what they are doing.

Do you believe that you are able to accomplish your goals? If you do then keep on pressing forward and stay connected to your source and don’t allow nothing or anyone to stop you from achieving the things you are pushing forward to achieve. If you don’t feel like you can go a step forward, then pray and leave it to God to work out, and don’t lose your faith in your goals, we all need to lean and depend on someone from time to time. Don’t feel like you can’t achieve it cause you can, there’s no need to rush, cause you want to be fully equipped to handle what you’re pushing to achieve. Don’t look at what is stopping you, focus on your goal. Don’t look for easy ways out, stay the path the end is worth the travel, and the journey you’re on.

Happy Friday! Today, I have a special treat for you. My pal, Maria Zannini is here to give us the low-down on creating great cover art. No matter what route to publishing you choose, I go out of my way to provide the best information to help you forge your own path to success.

Maria, take it away!

***

Perhaps the most formidable part of self-publishing is creating the right cover for your story. Where do you find art? How do you decide what art to use? When should you hire an artist? And if you hire someone, how do you know you’re getting your money’s worth?

I’ve been a graphic artist for more than thirty years, recently retired from my day job as an art director for a large communications company. I know good design. But more importantly I know how to create the emotional trigger that inspires and…

It’s my day in court and I watch my attorney gathering evidence and walking back and forth with papers and phone conversations. I am instantly dizzy with all the red tape and expected questions that the prosecution will ask. The final moment has come they just called our case. I am nervous, and my feet will not move from this spot as the judge calls me to the stand. My lawyer tries to get me to move and take the stand.

“Come on son, it’s going to be just like we discussed and practice.”

“I’m scared, I thought I could do this, but he’s in the room right over there, he will get me if I testify.” I replied

“Who is going to get you, son?” he responded

“He is seated right over there, don’t you see him?” I asked

“Where, there is no one seated over there.” he assured me. My attorney then turned to the judge and requested that we take a small recess and then he’d be ready to proceed.

I couldn’t believe no one saw his beady eyes, with those long connecting eye brows and the teeth was the scariest of all. I watched him as he stood up and when he turned to look at me, my skin began to crawl. He seemed to smirk at me when he realized that I couldn’t go through with it. I felt defeated. My lawyer took me outside of the room to talk to me. He promised me that my father wasn’t in the room. I knew he was lying because he stood not twelve feet away from me and I could smell the blood that dripped from his hands in the morning he killed my mother. I wasn’t ready, no matter what my lawyer said I wasn’t ready or prepared for the next phase.

We entered the courtroom, and my lawyer told the judge that he would not be calling me to the stands right now and he called the next wittiness. I felt relieved, but he was still starring at me this time with his eyes glowing yellow and his pupils were solid black, he was snarling and his teeth were sharp as razor and the smell of the blood was getting closer. I didn’t see anything but his image drawing closer to me. I tried to scream for help but no one could hear me. I watched in shock as his hand was drawn back and he swings and strikes my lawyer. I watched him rip repeatedly strike him until his shirt was bloody. I closed my eyes and when I opened them up again the officer tried to restrain my lawyer, from repeatedly cutting himself with a letter opener. The judge smacked his gavel down repeatedly calling the whole room to order. The officer placed handcuffs on my lawyer and rushed him out the room.

I sat and watched as the beast returned to his seat and sat calmly, smirking at me. I didn’t think anyone would believe me if I told them it was my father. Why did he attack him, and why does no one see him but me? I wondered as we were all rushed out of the courtroom to safety. How could this be happening, I know I saw my father rip the lawyer to shreds and when I opened my eyes my lawyer was cutting into his own flesh.

After I arrived home, my aunt and uncle were seated in the living room when I walked in. They had heard of the event with my lawyer and they were both in shock and disbelief of the fact he stabbed his own self while he was handling the case. My uncle expressed his thought of the evil that was around the case, and suggested that I’d not testify, even though my father wasn’t there in the courtroom, because of the problems that has been around this case from the moment they found my mother in the deep freezer. I listened to him talk about what my father did the night before he murdered my mother.

“Your father was an evil, sick bastered, no offense, but he was made of pure evil.” my uncle spoke

“Why do you say he’s evil?” I asked

“Well, when we were little he used to kill animals, didn’t really matter what it was, he would always, beat it to death or find some way to rip it to pieces.” he explained